Doll or toy figure



July 14, 19,42. JQMAIBALIM DOLL 0R TOY FIGURE Filed April 5, 1940 aaa: 2z@ 22a.

nventor Jena/#15 A44/,9,4 un Bg @JM h Cttorneg Patented July 14, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOLL OR TOY FIGURE Jerome Maibaum, New York, N. Y.

Application April 5, 1940, Serial No. 328,004

(c1. is-s) 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to dolls or toy figures and, more particularly, to such dolls or figures provided with changeable eyes.

In accordance with the present invention the doll is of the flat type, being made of cardboard,

wood or other sheet material, usually in a plurality of'layers, and is provided with changeable eyes mounted in the head of the figure and movable by tilting the latter, whereby to vary the appearance of the eyes.

An important feature of the p-resent invention resides in the construction and arrangement of the eyes and the head in which the latter are mounted, whereby the eyes can assume a large number of positions and releasably be retained in said positions when the door is in upright position, all for the purpose of obtaining a greater variability in the appearance of the eyes than was heretofore possible in dolls of the at type.

The invention and the features and advantages thereof will be more fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig.1 is a front view of the head and upper part of the body of a doll embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of one of the eye members;

Fig, 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view of the movable eye member provided in the doll shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of a doll head showing another form of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a View on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a view of .one of the eye members of Fig. '7.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the doll I0 is formed as here shown of an intermediate flat layer I2 of cardboard, wood or other suitable sheet material and front and back covering layers I4 and I6, respectively, of paper or other suitable sheet material having printed, lithographed, or otherwise applied thereto in one or more colors as may be desired the simulation of features and usual dress of the doll. While only the head and upper part of the body of the doll is here shown, it will be understood that layers I2, I4, and I6 will extend for the full length of the figure from layer I2 in any suitable way such as, for example, by means of an adhesive.

The head part of intermediate layer I2 has a recessed portion or recesses I 8 in which are positioned movable eye members 20 each having an iris 22 depicted thereon. The front layer I4 is provided with eye apertures 24 through which eye members 20 are visible. It will be observed that recesses I8 have horizontally disposed edge portions 26 which are wider than the base portions 28 of eye members 20. Also, said recesses I8 have upwardly diverging edge portions 30 which meet downwardly inclined edge portions 32. Eye members 20 are movable laterally of the head of the figure in recesses I8 until the opposite side edges 34 0f base portions 28 thereof engage the lower ends of diverging side edges 30 of the recesses and thereafter said eye members can turn on one or the other of the corners 36 until the edges 34 abut the adjacent edges 30 of said recesses. Thus, said eye members have a rectilinear and sliding movement Vas well as a partial rotary or turning movement in their respective recesses and can be moved as desired by tilting the ligure to obtain a wide variation in the appearance of the eyes of the figure visible through apertures 24. When the eyes are moved into their variousladjustedpositions by tilting the figure and thereafter the figure is returned to its upright position, the eyes remain in their adjusted position. This applies to the adjustment of the eyes by the turning movement thereof as well as by the sliding movement, for in the case of the adjustment of the eyes by the turning movement thereof the center of gravity thereof is shifted sufficiently to retain the same in said adjusted positions. Thus, the downwardly inclines edges 32 of the recesses provide means formed in each recess to restrain the eye members releasably in certain positions thereof.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs; 4, 5 and 6, the toy figure IIJa is constructed as described above in reference to toy figure I0 of at cardboard or other suitable sheet material except that the intermediate layer l2 thereof instead of having a plurality of recesses and a plu- -rality of eye members has a single recess I8a in which a single eye member 20a is mounted for longitudinal movement. Said eye member Za hasa plurality of sets of simulated irises or other eye parts, the parts of each set being visible through the eye apertures 24a in front layer I4. The eye parts are arranged in sets and the eye parts of one set differ in color or appearance head to feet. Layers I4 and I6 can be secured to 55 from the eye parts of another set. Thus, for example, the irises 22a of one set may be blue while the irises 22a.' of the other set may be brown or of some other color which differs from the color of the irises 22a. The several irises are arranged on member 20a so that only the irises of one set are visible through apertures 24a at any one time, it being understood, however, that the irises which are visible through said apertures are adjustable with respect thereto so that the appearance of the exposed eyes can be varied. Eye member 20a can be moved longitudinally of recess 18a and in respect to eye apertures Za by tilting the iigure or by moving the same with a slight sudden motion.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 7 to 9, the ligure Ih is at and the intermediate layer I2 thereof is provided with recesses 18h in which eye members 20h are positioned in juxtaposition to the eye apertures 24h in front layer I4. Said disks 20h simulate irises and carry simulated pupil portions 22h. Recesses |81)` are provided with central notched and projecting portions 40 in which the disks are positioned when centrally of the apertures 26D. By tilting the figure to the left viewing Fig. 7, disks Zb can be moved into the lefthand portions 42 of said recesses for varying the appearance of the eyes or said eye members 2b` can be moved into the recessed portions 44 of the recesses |817K so that the eyes are disposed at the righthand corners of the eye openings 241). The upper edges of recesses lSbl are provided with vertically extending edge portions 46 which cause the eye disks to drop into the notched portions Ml in their central positions when the figure is moved from right to left for moving the eye members 2Gb from recess portions 44 to said central positions of the recesses. Said notched portions 4E! serve to restrain the eye members releasably in certain positions in said recesses and the points of said notches also serve to restrain the eye members releasably in certain other positions in said recesses.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention including several forms thereof, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically shown or described. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the invention herein specifically illustrated or described or specifically to any of the illustrated forms of the invention except to the extent which may be required by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A toy figure of the class described having a head portion comprising a at layer provided with a recess having a bottom edge extending laterally of the head portion, upwardly diverging side edges at the opposite ends of said bottom edge, and edges extending laterally of said diverging side edges, respectively, a front layer having an eye aperture in registry with said recess, and means carrying simulated eye parts slidably movable in said recess on said bottom edge thereof to various positions therein in relation to said eye aperture for varying the appearance of said eye parts which are visible through said aperture, said eye part carrying means being also turnable in said recess after a predetermined slidable movement thereof, said eye part carrying means having a laterally extending bottom edge, slidable on said bottom edge of the recess,

side edges, and edges extending laterally of said last mentioned side edges outwardly thereof, respectively, for engagement with the adjacent laterally extending edges, respectively, of said recess when said eye part carrying means is turned after said predetermined sliding movement thereof.

2. A toy figure of the class described having a head portion comprising a flat layer provided with laterally spaced recesses, each having a lower edge, a front layer having eye apertures in registry with said recesses, respectively, and means comprising non-circular eye members carrying simulated eye parts slidably and turnably movable in said recesses, independently of each other, on said lower edges thereof to various positions therein in relation to said eye apertures for varying the appearance of said eye parts which are visible through said apertures, said eye members being adjustable to desired positions in relation to said apertures by tilting the figure and means in said recesses for releasably restraining said eye members in said adjusted positions thereof, respectively, when the figure is returned to upright position following tilting thereof for adjusting said eye members.

3. A toy figure of the class described having a head portion comprising a flat layer provided with laterally spaced recesses, each having a lower edge, a front layer having eye apertures in registry with said recesses, respectively, eye members engaging said lower edges, respectively, of said recesses, and carrying simulated eye parts movable with said members to various positions in said recesses in relation to said eye apertures for varying the appearance of said eye parts which are visible through said apertures, a back layer secured to said intermediate layer and closing said recesses at the back thereof, said eye members being non-circular and slidably and turnably adjustable to desired positions in relation to said apertures by tilting the figure, and means in said recesses for automatically restraining said eye members releasably in said adjusted positions thereof, respectively, when the figure is returned to upright position following tilting thereof for adjusting said eye members.

4. A toy figure of the class described having a head portion having recesses therein and a covering layer having eye apertures in registry with said recesses, respectively, each of said recesses having a lower edge, side edges extending in upwardly diverging relation from said lower edge at opposite ends of the latter, respectively, lateral edges extending downwardly and outwardly from the upper ends of said side edges, respectively, and a top edge connecting the outer ends of said lateral edges, and an eye member positioned in each of said recesses and movable therein, each of said eye members having a bottom edge supported by and slidable on said lower edge of the companion recess, side edges extending upwardly from the opposite ends, respectively, of said bottom edge, lateral edges extending outwardly from the upper ends, respectively, of said side edges of the eye member in position to seat on the adjacent lateral edges of the companion recess, after predetermined sliding and turning movements of the eye member in its recess, said eye members having portions above said lateral edges thereof carrying simulated eye parts visible through said eye apertures.

JEROME MAIBAUM. 

